Sunday 10th January, 2010
One of the leading lights of the French custom motorcycle scene is Millery-based Fred Duban of Dub Performance, and this tracker-ish creation is his latest bike. It’s based on a 2003 Harley Dyna Super Glide, of all things, but you’d be hard pushed to tell. Fred has heavily modded the engine with a Screamin’ Eagle big-bore cylinder and piston kit, increasing the displacement of Harley’s twin cam from 88 to 95 cubic inches (1550cc). The newly-liberated motor breathes through a Forcewinder intake and Mikuni carburetion; the seat unit and handlebars are proprietary Dub Performance items originally designed for Sportster conversions. The forks are by Ceriani, the exhaust is a Supertrapp, and the slick silver-gray paintjob completes the picture. The 1970s Harley XR-750 look is definitely on the way back, and it’s good to see another sweet-lookin’ example. If you’re tempted, the bike is for sale for €25000—which equates to US$36,000, about the same price as the latest showroom Electra Glide “CVO Ultra Classic” model.
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Saturday 9th January, 2010
We’ve got a bit of a thing for Moto Guzzis here, and this vintage racer from Japan has got to be one of the best Guzzis in the world. We first noticed it in September but now owner Siroh Nakajimi of Ritmo Sereno has released more pictures and information about his personal bike. The engine is running an increased compression ratio with polished and ported heads, Carrillo rods, titanium valves and a balanced crankshaft. Numerous smaller mods include a new oil filter system, an aluminum flywheel and a new steering bracket. Handling is taken care of by Öhlins suspension, with AP Racing brake calipers bringing the whole shebang to a stop. It’s hard to believe that this machine was originally a rusted-out wreck that Nakajima discovered “partially buried in the desert of Arizona”. Right now, if I had to pick one bike in the world to put in my garage, this would be it. Check out the Ritmo Sereno website for pictures and specs—plus videos of the bike in action.
Nikon D100 | 1/8s | f/6.3 | Focal length 60mm
PS: A big welcome to our latest advertiser HelmetSecure, a company set up by a bunch of motorcycle enthusiasts in San Francisco. They make a stylish (and deceptively simple) lock that allows bikers to more confidently leave their full-face helmet on their bike.
I’ve just returned from a blissful week touring the back roads of south-eastern Australia. On some of the more twisty stretches of asphalt, I found myself wondering: what would be the ideal motorcycle for powering out of tight hairpins and down short straights? Even some of the 600 sportsbikes on those roads were looking a little unwieldy at times. I came to the conclusion it’d be a sporting single that’s light on weight and heavy on torque—something like the Roland Sands 450 SuperSingle or the Ducati Supermono Strada shown above. The original mid-90s Supermono was a limited-production design from Pierre Terblanche, with 80 hp pushing just 126 kg (277 lb). Only 67 of these machines were built, and the leading expert on them is Alistair Wager, who managed Ducati’s AMA Superbike team. Wager has now built a street-going replica—hence the ‘Strada’—using his unparalleled mechanical knowledge and access to the Ducati parts bin. The Supermono Strada uses much of the original engine, but with the addition of the Testastretta (”narrow head”) top-end from the 999. The English-built chassis is a replica of the original, but crafted from light chromoly 4130 steel. The swingarm is a 1000SS item, headlights are from the 749, and the starter is from a 916. Öhlins suspension, revised gear ratios and Brembo brakes help keep the power under control. Wager quotes a cost of around GBP35,000 to build this bike (US$56,000): a lot of money, yes, but undoubtedly a lot of fun too. Motorcycle Daily has the full story and specifications.
Thursday 7th January, 2010
By guest writer Scott of Pipeburn. This charming 1966 Honda CB160 was previously owned by ex-professional skater and actor Jason Lee (of My Name is Earl, Chasing Amy, and Almost Famous). It was built by Jay and the talented guys at Lossa Engineering of California; they started by completely stripping the bike down, making sure all tabs were removed and holes filled, before sanding the whole enchilada until it was smoother than Bruce Willis’s dome and powdercoating the frame in red. A custom-made clutch was fitted, and the black throttle and front brake cables were shortened to accommodate classic clubman bars. Then in true cafe racer style, Lossa removed everything that wasn’t needed to make the bike stop and go, and drilled holes in everything else to reduce weight. Finally, a 175cc big bore kit gave the bike extra power for vintage racing on the track. Jason Lee no longer owns Poco Bastardo (’Little Bastard’ in Italian’) though: he sold it recently to make room in his collection for another Lossa Engineering bike, this time a CB550. For more pictures and specifications, visit the Poco Bastardo gallery on the Lossa site.
Wednesday 6th January, 2010
By guest writer Scott of Pipeburn. Many times I’ve wished I had a Bazooka attached to my bike, usually after almost being killed by someone who didn’t check their side mirrors. Luckily for them, all I had to unload was my middle finger. So when I first saw this Vespa, I knew most motorcyclists would love the concept—even if it was made for a different purpose. It is named the Vespa 150 TAP (Troupes Aéro Portées) and it’s an Italian Vespa scooter modified by creating a hole in the legshield to carry a M20 75 mm recoilless rifle. The recoil or ‘kick’ from the rifle was counter balanced by venting propellant gases out the rear of the weapon; this eliminated the need for heavy mounts, and enabled the weapon to be fired from the Vespa frame. Due to the lack of any kind of aiming devices, the recoilless rifle was supposed to be mounted on a tripod, which was also carried by the scooter. Primarily built for the Algerian War in the 1950s, five parachutes could carry a two-man gun crew, weapon, ammunition, and two scooters. Then the men would load the weapon on one scooter and the ammo on the other, before riding away to find their enemy. Although rumour has it that the drivers were seen more often pushing it rather than riding on it …
Tuesday 5th January, 2010
By guest writer Scott of Pipeburn. To build a superb cafe racer like this you don’t have to be a rocket scientist, but it helps. The builder of the XRTT Harley-Davidson cafe racer is Bill Nigro, and he holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. After graduation, he was keen to spend his life in the aviation industry—but after managing an airport for a year and a half, he realized that this stressful job was not for him. So he quit, turning to his true calling of working on motorcycles. And after 30 years, he’s never looked back. Bill is also the owner of American Motorcycle Parts (AMCP) and has a long history of building some very unique motorcycles. Although he usually specializes in American-style choppers, it’s refreshing to see him build this amazing cafe racer. The powerful 1750cc XRTT is a true mongrel; a cross between American heart and soul, and classic British styling. Noticeable features include those prominent twin Supertrap mufflers, the retro-style orange tint fuel tank, the cafe single seat, spoked wheels and copious amounts of chrome. Visit the AMCP site for more images of the XRTT and to see more creations by this legendary builder.
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By guest writer Diesel of Visual Gratification. Say hello to the Warbird. I would rather call this a piece of art than a motorcycle. But this beauty is not just a piece of art, it’s a real bike. It’s the first product from the creative hands of Canadian Ian Douglas, and what separates it from other custom bikes is what’s inside this beast. It’s based on the cylinders and heads from a radial engine, and the accessories related to that motor are from a full-size aircraft engine. This monstrous V-Twin displaces 3129cc, with a bore and stroke ratio of 5.125″ x 4.625″. Ian has literally designed the whole bike—including the crankcase—to house this mammoth, and everything was built or mated or fused by Douglas in-house. He designed and made the casting patterns, and did all the required machining, while the casting itself was done by the OBCO foundry in Richmond B.C. (Many aviation components were provided by Radial Engines). It took Ian two years to create this beauty, but what a product! On the tank, you can see a pin-up girl—the creation of a “very talented local girl named Jennie Persak”—while the overall painting was done by George Kanavaros, an experienced aviation painter. On his website, Douglas says, “Warbird, my latest build, was born out of a combined love of vintage aircraft engines and similar period motorcycles. The engine is a scratch designed/built power-plant that utilizes WWII radial aircraft cylinders and a one-off hand built crank case. The response to the bike has been truly amazing. I must have struck a nerve with people, as we have been flooded with requests for more information.” Visit the Warbird website and check out the photo gallery section while you’re there. This truly is a masterpiece worth appreciating. [Photographer/image copyright Ian Douglas.]
A note from Diesel: This is the fifth and last post from me for Bike EXIF. Chris emailed me to ask if I’d be the guest editor for five days—although he wanted a break, he didn’t want the website to take one. I was more than happy to fill in, and I hope I have been able to maintain Bike EXIF’s high quality of posts. I must say it is no easy job to post something new and exciting every day, especially when the motorcycles featured are so rare and classy! My best wishes to Chris and all the Bike EXIF readers for a very prosperous New Year.
To kick off the arrival of a new decade, I thought I’d check to see which motorcycles have proved most popular with our readers over the past year. And it’s thrown up a few surprises. Even if you saw these bikes the first time round, they’re worth a second look. (And why 11 rather than 10? Only because the gap between the last two bikes was almost too close to call.)
1. 1934 BMW R7 This concept motorcycle (above) racked up twice as many hits as any other bike.
2. Wrenchmonkees Honda CB750 Honda’s 70s star gets the Scandinavian treatment.
3. Honda Gold Wing Bulldog Bobber Brutal and beautiful: a real crowd-pleaser.
4. Wrenchmonkees 1976 BMW R80 Another winner from the Copenhagen workshop.
5. Killinger und Freund Like the 1934 BMW R7, this is another Art Deco stunner.
6. Benjie’s Cafe Honda CB550F Benjie Flipprboi hit a home run with this vintage Honda.
7. 1949 Moto Major The post-WWII motorcycle that looks like it was built for Batman.
8. Honda XL600R Street Tracker A tracker that proves Less can be More.
9. 1983 BMW R80 Bobber A radically-reworked airhead from Rodney Aguiar.
10. Big Moon Yamaha SR400 A baby-blue beauty from the up-and-coming Japanese shop.
11. Yamaha RD350 Custom Black-and-gold detailing and rare mechanicals from Twinline.
Saturday 2nd January, 2010
By guest writer Scott of Pipeburn. There’s a bit of a Honda CB160 racing craze taking over America, and one shop is leading the charge. They go by the name of Vicious Cycle, they built the machine in the picture above, and they’ve been working on these pocket rockets in the Portland area for over ten years. There are several reasons why the CB160 is the weapon of choice for many vintage racers, but it’s mainly because loads of them are still around: Honda manufactured hundreds of thousands of them between 1965 and 1969. They’re also light, handle brilliantly, and are surprisingly fast. Top speed is around 80 mph, which isn’t bad for a twin-cylinder, overhead cam of just 160cc. American magazine Cycle World first tested the CB160 in May 1965 and said, “We cannot tell you how impressive the Honda CB160 is to everyone who knows motorcycles and has ridden it. Honda have achieved perfect balance between engine and frame”. Motorcycles have progressed by leaps and bounds since then, but the CB160 still holds up today. Vicious Cycle owner Joe Pethoud is a bit of a legend in the west coast CB160 racing scene, originally making a name for himself by taking 22 decaying CBs and turning them into nine fast track bikes. They have been running bikes in the AHRMA, OMRRA and WMRRA race series and have created many championship winning motorcycles. To see what all the fuss is about, check this video of vintage CB160s in action.
